Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya has spoken before the United Nations Security Council where he gave a strongly worded condemnation of the actions of the US and its allies, as well as western mainstream media. He stated that it is time to discuss frankly what is happening in Eastern Ghouta, and accused international media outlets of operating under “mass psychosis” in spewing out untruths about the situation in Eastern Ghouta.

Comparing the lies about Eastern Ghouta to those that were commonplace in late 2016 regarding East Aleppo, Nebenzya stated that groups such as the White Helmets which “exist as a result of foreign assistance” and that the group “closely affiliated with terrorist groups are spreading lies about the reality of the situation” in a “well paid misinformation campaign”

The Russian Ambassador stated that based on the propaganda of groups like the White Helmets, “there is an impression that all of Eastern Ghouta is comprised of hundreds of hospitals…it is a well known tactic in information warfare. Nebenzya also stated that it is well known that the Al-Nusra terrorists of Eastern Ghouta build their facilities next to cites like hospitals in order to use people as human shields while they themselves launch rockets into Damascus.

He continued, saying that there are several thousand Al-Nusra fighters in Eastern Ghouta who have not yet been vanquished. These fighters have breached a preexisting ceasefire and continue to hold civilians hostages, all the while the western sponsors of these groups do nothing to exert their influence and tell them to pause their hostilities and open humanitarian corridors, the kind which existed before the full liberation of East Aleppo in 2016.

Turning to the real crime against humanity, Nebenzya stated,

“They (the terrorists of Eastern Ghouta) are shelling Damascus and the intensity of these attacks mounts with each passing day…not a single region in the capital has been shielded from these attacks.

…How many people need to be murdered in Damascus before the issue rises to the ‘gold standard of empathy”.

Nebenzya then stated that when the US bombed Raqqa to the ground no one said anything. Now the US abandons Raqqa, refusing to engage in mine clearance. As a result civilians are being blown up by mines with increasing frequency.

Further to stating that “Russia will continue to do everything possible to restore peace in Syria”, Nebenzya encouraged a constructive attitude among UN members while blaming certain countries for trying to exploit the situation in Eastern Ghouta to try and destabilise the Syrian government and defame the Russian Federation.